


we'll be here when the world slows down

by tittydicktea



Series: infinity's will [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Possession, Reality possesses a rat so they can talk to people, Sentient Infinity Stones (Marvel), The Avengers Are Good Bros, Thor's Depression being treated seriously, Time Travel, ill update these tags later :), just one for now, no beta we die like loki, self-indulgent endgame rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29017647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tittydicktea/pseuds/tittydicktea
Summary: “I am Reality, one of the six Infinity Stones. Something terrible has happened."When the fragments of the Reality Stone possess a rat and free Scott Lang, the Avengers finally have a chance to bring everyone back, after five years.My very self indulgent Endgame rewrite, including Sentient Infinity Stones, sticking to the rules of time travel, and slapping duct tape over some plot holes.Also fixing some horrible decisions made by the writers. :)
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Thor, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Infinity Stones & Everyone, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Rocket Raccoon & Thor, Scott Lang & Reality, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Thor, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Series: infinity's will [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128791
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> howdyy. endgame disappointed me severely, especially with all the plotholes.  
> i hope to fix a few of them :)
> 
> if you spot any grammar mistakes dw abt it its fine.
> 
> title from Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake.

Red particles floated through the streets of San Francisco, searching for something. They floated and twisted and turned, hurried and wild. They found a storage unit and snuck in one of the vents.

A rat ran by, and the red particles zoomed for it, wrapping around it tightly like a snake. The rat squealed and struggled before becoming perfectly still. The particles slowly entered its mouth, and the rat’s eyes went bright glowing red, and its fur turned a deep reddish-brown.  
The possessed rat moved shakily for a moment before surveying the giant room, glancing at all the storage spaces. The lost souls’ possessions were here, they realized. A deep sadness swelled inside of the consciousness possessing the rat.

They finally found what they were looking for and scurried over to it. An ugly brown van. They looked over the buttons, sniffing at them. The rat pressed a button and the van roared to life. Out popped Scott Lang. He was dazed, confused, looking around. The rat scurried over him and tapped and squeaked at him. Scott looked at them, his confusion intensifying.  
“I... I must be going crazy… There’s no way I was... Saved by a rat..”  
The rat opened their mouth and shakily whispered.  
“ _Scott Edward Harris Lang._ ”  
The human flinched back. “What the fuck??”  
“ _We need your help, Lang._ ” The rat whispered, crawling onto his chest. “ _I am Reality, one of the six Infinity Stones. Something terrible has happened. Can you get us out of this place?_ ”

Scott walked through the streets, Reality in his shirt pocket. He wheeled his little wagon full of stuff behind him. He spoke softly to Reality, still very confused about his circumstances. “What the hell happened here, Reality? And why do you need _my_ help?” He ignored any weird looks he got. Answers were more important.

“ _We, the Infinity Stones, were used to cause great destruction. A powerful being, Thanos, used us to wipe out half of all life._ ” Scott stopped, horror filling him. He glanced over to a field of plaques. He ran to them, jumping from one to another, looking for a name. “No no no..” Reality let him get it out of his system, knowing he wouldn't listen in his panic.  
He finally found not his daughter’s name, but his own. Reality looked up and whispered to him. “ _Your daughter, Cassandra Lang, is alive. She is at her mother’s home._ ” Scott took off running, sprinting toward the house.

He pounded on the door, slipping Reality into his pocket. Cassie opened the door and they hugged after a minute of staring. “You’re so big!” Scott tearfully spoke. Cassie invited him in.  
“You can sleep on the couch, if you want. I don’t think mom would like your...new friend.” the teen gestured to the rat in her father’s hand.  
“Oh, don’t worry about them. They won’t do much.”  
Cassie nodded lightly, and they had dinner, then Scott slept on the couch.  
In the morning, after breakfast, Reality whispered to Scott again, hiding inside his jacket. “ _The Avengers, go to them. The Compound… you need to go to them. They can help us._ ”

“Oh, Hi, hi! Uh, Is anyone home?” Scott waved to the camera, hoping someone would answer. “This is, uh, Scott Lang! We met a few years ago at the airport...in Germany?”  
Scott glanced at Reality, in his hand. “I was that guy that got really big. I had a mask on. You wouldn’t recognize me… Uh... Ant-man? Ant-man I know you know that. I really need to talk to you guys?”

Scott walked around the room, muttering to himself and to the... Rat he brought in. Natasha and Steve exchanged a look. Was this guy crazy?  
“Scott,” Steve started, getting the man’s attention. “Are you okay?”  
Scott nodded and rubbed at his face. “Have either of you ever studied quantum physics?”

Natasha shrugged a little. “Only to make conversation.” Scott pointed a little at her then waved his hand slightly. “All right, so...Five years ago, right before... Thanos... I was in a place called the quantum realm. The quantum realm is like its own microscopic universe, to get in there you have to be incredibly small.”  
Scott paused for a second, glancing at the rat again. “Hope, she's my... She was my…” He stopped, swallowing slightly. “She was supposed to pull me out, but then Thanos happened...and I got stuck in there.”  
“I’m sorry, that must have been a very long five years..” Nat apologized. Scott shook his head slightly. “But that’s just it, It wasn’t. For me, it was five hours.”

Scott continued talking, about the quantum realm and his theory: Going back in time, getting the stones. Steve interrupted. “How did you think of this?” Scott paused, swallowing the bite of PBJ sandwich he had stolen off the counter, giving some to the rat on his shoulder. “Reality told me.”  
Nat’s eyebrows furrowed. “Reality? The rat?”

Scott nodded. “Reality got me out of the quantum realm, they need our help. They’re one of the Infinity Stones, possessing a rat. They explained everything they remembered to me, and we did some thinking. The stones were destroyed by Thanos five years ago, and now the aspects themselves are too weak to piece themselves back together. Reality was barely strong enough to possess a _rat._ ”

Steve and Nat looked at each other. Reality spoke up from their place on Scott's shoulder. Their voice was raspy when loud. “ _It’s true, Steven Grant Rogers, Natalia Romanova. We are weak, and cannot fix the damage done to us. We barely retain our memories, aside from a few fragments. Gather the stones from the past, and we can all fix everything._ ”  
“I know, it’s crazy, it’s crazy. But I can’t-”  
“Scott. I get emails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore.” Nat said, rubbing at her chin lightly.  
Scott nodded slightly. “So who do we talk to about this?”

* * *

Tony Stark left his house, making his way towards a little tent. He clapped a little tune, “Chow Time!” he said. The inventor sat down on a tiny chair. “Maguna,” He waited a second. “Morgan H. Stark, you want some lunch?” The girl in question popped out of the tent, holding out a gloved hand and wearing an iron suit helmet. “Define ‘lunch’ or be disintegwated.”  
“Okay,” Tony held out a hand. “You should not be wearing that, okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift I’m making for mom.”  
The man pressed a kiss against the helmet his daughter wore, then slipped it off. He brushed some hair out of Morgan’s face. “There you go,” He muttered. “You thinking about lunch?”  
Morgan nodded lightly. “I can give you a handful of crickets, on a bed of lettuce.”  
“No.” Morgan pouted slightly.  
“That’s what you want.” Tony grinned. He picked the helmet up again. “How did you find this?”  
“Gawage..”  
“ _Really?_ Were you _looking_ for it?”  
“No.. I found it though.”  
“Hmm. You like going in the garage, huh? So does daddy.” Tony grunted as he stood, picking Morgan up as he did so. “It’s fine, actually. Mom never wears anything I buy her.”

Tony walked with Morgan back to the house, pausing when he saw a car pull up. He watched Steve step out of the car, then Natasha, and then another guy. Scott, if he remembered correctly. Scott had a rat on his shoulder, and its glowing red eyes unsettled him.  
The billionaire slowly walked up the stairs and turned around, looking towards Natasha. Nat nodded her head at him, and he nodded back to her. Then he turned back around and walked inside.

“No, tru- we know what it sounds like.” Scott started.  
“Tony, after everything you’ve seen is anything truly impossible?” Steve asked.  
“Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition, can we agree on that?” Tony handed Steve a drink. “In layman's terms, it means you’re not coming home.”

“I did.”  
“No, you accidentally survived and.. A rat saved you? It’s a billion-to-one cosmic fluke. And now you want to pull a… what do you call it?”  
“Time heist?” Scott responded, humorously.  
“Yeah, a Time Heist. Of course. Why didn’t we think of this before?” Tony looked around the group. “Oh, because it’s laughable? Because it’s a pipe dream?”  
“The unbroken stones are in the past,” Steve interrupted. “We could go back, we could get them.”  
“We can snap our own fingers,” Nat continued. “We could bring everybody back. And fix the broken stones.”  
“Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?” Tony countered.  
“I don’t believe we would.”  
“Gotta say it, I sometimes miss that giddy optimism,” Tony smirked a little. “However, high hopes won’t help, if there’s no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist.”

The inventor sat down in a chair. “I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise.”  
“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. All right? That means, no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-”  
“I’m gonna stop you right there, Scott.” Tony leant forward. “Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on _Back to the Future_? Is it?”  
Scott sighed lightly. “No.”  
“Good, you had me worried there ‘cause that’d be horseshit. That’s not how quantum physics works.”  
“Tony.” Natasha looked up, voice calm. “We have to take a stand.”  
“We did stand. And yet, here we are.”

“ _Anthony Stark,_ ” Reality spoke, sitting on Scott’s shoulder. “ _We know you have much that you wish not to lose, but if you do not help us, everyone you lost already will remain lost._ ”  
“I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did. And now, now we have a chance to bring her back, to bring everyone back, and you’re telling me that you won’t even-”  
“That’s right Scott, I won’t even,” Tony spoke, barely a whisper.  
Scott stared at him in disbelief, Reality looked away, fiddling with their little rat hands.  
“I can’t.” Tony shrugged, looking away.

A door opened and closed nearby, and little footsteps approached.  
“Mommy told me to come and save you.” Morgan mumbled cutely, hopping up into Tony’s lap.  
“Good job, I’m saved.” Tony hugged the 4-year-old, looking over to Scott. He stood as he spoke. “I wish you were coming here to ask me something else, anything else. I’m honestly happy to see you guys, I just- Oh look, the table’s set for six-”  
“Tony, I get it.” Steve put his hand on Tony’s arm gently. “And I’m happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance.”  
Tony looked into Steve’s eyes for a second. “I got my second chance right here, Cap. Can’t roll the dice on it.”  
He shook his head and looked to the others. “If you don’t talk shop, you can stay for lunch.” Tony went inside with his daughter, Morgan waving goodbye to the three adults and the tiny rat, Reality giving the girl a wave.

As they walked back to the car, Reality spoke. “ _He’s scared of losing his family._ ” Steve nodded. “He’s not wrong.”  
“What are we gonna do now? We need him. What, are we gonna stop?”  
“No, we have to try,” Natasha said, crossing her arms.  
“We’re gonna need a really big brain.” Steve continued.  
“Bigger than his?” Scott questioned, exasperated.

* * *

“Come on, I feel like me and the rat are the only ones eating here,” Bruce said. “Try some of that, have some eggs.” he pushed the eggs towards Scott. Reality was shoving their face with all the food they could get their tiny little rat hands on, Steve was watching them eat with a combination of concern and slight fascination.  
Scott stared at him. “I’m so confused.”  
“These are confusing times.” The scientist said.  
“Right, no no, that’s not what I meant-”  
“Nah, I get it, I’m kidding! I know it’s crazy.” He gestured to himself. “I’m wearing shirts now.”  
Scott nodded. “Yeah. What? How? Why?” He looked up at Bruce, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Five years ago, we got our asses beat. Except it was worse for me, ‘cause I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost. “Then, we all lost.”  
“No one blamed you, Bruce.”  
“I did.” Bruce sighed. Then he continued. “For years, I’ve been treating the Hulk like he’s some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then I start looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in the gamma lab, I put the Brains and the Brawn together, and now look at me. Best of both worlds.” He smiled.

Some kids wandered over, nervous energy radiating off of them. “Excuse me, Mr Hulk?”  
“Yeah?” He turned to them, smiling.  
“Could we get a photo, please?”  
“100%, little person. Come on, step on up,” He held the phone to Scott. “Do you mind?”  
Scott nodded and took the phone. “Oh yeah, yeah.”  
“Thanks, say _green._ ” Hulk and the kids posed. “ _Green._ ” The phone flashed. “Did you get that?”  
“That’s a good one,” Scott smiled, holding the phone out to the kids. He opened his mouth to say something but Reality gave him a warning tap on the chest. The kids left, and the Hulk dabbed. “Dab! Listen to your mom, she knows best!”  
“Bruce, about what we were saying.”  
“Right,” Bruce sat back slightly, pursing his lips. “The whole time travel do-over?” he shrugged a little “Eh guys, it’s outside my area of expertise.”  
Natasha tilted her head slightly. “Well, you pulled this off. I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible, too.”  
Bruce nodded, glancing over at Scott.

* * *

Tony stood at his sink, washing dishes. His grip slipped with the faucet and water sprayed everywhere.  
Frustrated, he turned the water off and put the plate on the dish rack. He straightened out his sleeves and wiped down the shelf a little. He looked up at the photo, and paused.  
He reached out and grabbed it, picking it up. He wiped the water off it and looked it over.  
A photo of him and Peter... The photo they took to prove the fake internship.  
A deep sadness filled him, sitting in his chest like an arc reactor. It’s been five years but it still hurt to think about how he couldn’t save Peter.  
Tony glanced up, and determination filled him.

“I’ve got a mild inspiration, I’d like to see if it checks out.” He glanced up at his holo-table. “So, I’d like to run one last sim before we pack it in for the night. This time,” He clapped his hands gently. “In the shape of a Mobius strip, inverted please.”  
“Processing,” FRIDAY responds.  
Tony looks over the hologram before reaching out a hand. “Right, give me the eigenvalue of that particle factoring in spectral decomp. That’ll take a second,”  
“Just a moment,” FRIDAY says.  
“And don’t worry if it doesn’t pan out. I’m just kinda…” He clicks his teeth a couple of times as FRIDAY rearranges the holo-model.  
“Model rendered.”  
Tony let out a puff, looking over FRIDAY’s model as MODEL SUCCESSFUL appeared in the corner.  
Tony’s eyes widened and he fell back into his chair with a sharp exhale. He covered his mouth in shock, then stretched out his arms. “Shit!”

“Shit!” a little voice said from behind him. Tony’s arms fell back to his sides as he turned to his daughter.  
Tony held a finger to his mouth, shaking his head. “What are you doing up, little miss?” Tony whispered. Morgan grinned cheekily.  
“Shit!”  
“Nope, we don’t say that. Only mommy says that word. She coined it, it belongs to her.”  
“Why are you up?”  
“‘Cause I got some important shit going on here, why do you think?” At his daughter’s raised eyebrow, he reiterated. “No, I got something on my mind, I got something on my mind.”  
“Was it juice pops?” the 4-year-old asked sweetly  
. Tony smiled slightly. “Sure was.” He turned to Morgan. “That’s extortion, That’s a word. What kind d’you want? Great minds think alike, Juice pops exactly… was on my mind.” He glanced back to the Holo-model, smiling lightly.

* * *

“Okay, here we go. Time travel test number one.” Bruce said, looking at the brown van in the testing room. “Scott, fire up the, uh… the van thing.”  
Scott opened the doors, as Steve walked in.  
“Breakers are set, Emergency generators are on standby.” He walked over to the other four. Reality sat on Bruce’s shoulder, looking over everything.  
“Good, because if we blow the grid, I dont want to lose, uh, tiny here in the 1950s.”  
Scott looked up. “Excuse me?”  
“He’s kidding, you can’t say things like that.” Natasha teased.  
“It was- It was just a bad joke.”

Scott walked towards the time machine, Natasha looked up at Bruce. “You were kidding, right?”  
“I have no idea, this is time travel we’re talking about here. Either it's all a joke or none of it is,” Bruce whispered to Nat. “We’re good! Get your helmet on.” he gave Scott a thumbs up and a smile, Reality rolled their little rat eyes and looked toward the machinery again.

“ _Scott, we are going to send you back a week, you will walk around for an hour, then we will bring you back in ten seconds. Does that make sense?_ ” Reality spoke, looking up at him.  
Scott waved a hand. “Perfectly not confusing.”  
“Good luck Scott, You got this.” Steve said, his arms crossed.  
Scott nodded with a smile. “You’re right. I do, Captain America.” Then he was sent back.  
“On a count of three,” Bruce spoke calmly. “Three,” He looked over to Nat, who nodded once. “Two,” He flicked a few switches. Steve stared at the van, full of anxiety.  
“One.” He pressed the final button and looked up as Scott returned.

In Scott’s place, there was a kid.  
“Uh… Guys?” the kid said, looking up nervously. “This doesn’t... This doesn’t feel right.”  
“What is this?”  
“What’s going on? Hold on, Hold on..” Bruce mumbled, flicking switches.  
“Who is that? Is that Scott?”  
“Yes, it’s Scott!” He was sent back into the quantum realm, Bruce nervously pressing buttons.  
“What’s going on Bruce?” Steve asked as Scott came back again, this time as an old man.  
“Oh, my back!” Bruce continued flicking and pressing, Reality watching nervously.  
“Can I get a little space here?” Reality hopped from Bruce’s shoulder and onto Steve’s as he passed by.  
“Yeah yeah yeah, Can you bring him back?” Steve looked between the machine and Bruce anxiously.  
“I’m working on it!” Bruce pressed some buttons, whacked a monitor, shook a thing. 

Scott came back again, but...  
“It’s a baby,” Steve said.  
“It’s Scott!” Bruce argued.  
“ _As an infant._ ” Reality sighed.  
“He’ll grow!”  
“Bring Scott back.” Steve said, looking away from the baby Scott.  
“When I say kill the power, kill the power.” Bruce looked to Nat.  
“Oh my God,” Nat sighed, walking toward the power switches.  
“And,” Bruce pressed buttons and flipped switches frantically. “Kill it!”  
Natasha pulled the lever, and Bruce pressed a button.

Scott popped out. Regular Scott. 49-year-old Scott. He held out his arms, looking haunted. “Somebody peed my pants,” he said.  
Natasha put a hand on her chest and sighed in relief. “Oh, thank God.”  
“But, I don’t know if it was baby me or old me.” He continued. “Or just… me me.”  
Reality jumped from Steve’s shoulder to the ground, and then scurried over to Nat, crawling up onto her shoulder.  
Bruce held his arms out. “Time Travel!” he grinned. Steve sighed and shook his head with closed eyes. “What?” The Captain walked off as Bruce continued. “I see this as an absolute win.”

Steve headed outside, standing next to a pillar with his hands on his hips. He looked at the ground, then towards the sky and let out a sigh.  
His eyebrows furrowed when he heard an engine and tires screeching. He glanced over and saw a grey car speeding along the road, toward the Compound.  
The car pulled up a little in front of him, then reversed slowly.

Tony, in the driver’s seat, rolled the window down and looked up at Steve through sunglasses. “Why the long face? Let me guess, he turned into a baby.”  
Steve sighed, looking away. “Among other things, yeah. What are you doing here?”  
“It’s the EPR Paradox. Instead of pushing Lang through time, you might’ve wound up pushing time through Lang. It’s tricky, dangerous. Somebody could’ve cautioned you against it.”  
“You did.”  
“Oh, did I?” Tony looked back at Steve. “Well, thank God I’m here.” He smiled, then continued. “Regardless, I fixed it." He held up his hand, holding a device. “A fully functioning time-space GPS. I just want peace.” Tony held up a peace sign. “Turns out, resentment is corrosive, and I hate it.”  
Steve nodded. “Me too.”

“We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost? I hope, yes. Keep what I found? I have to, at all costs.” Tony paused for a second. “And, maybe not die trying, would be nice.”  
Steve nodded as Tony stepped closer. “Sounds like a deal.” Cap held out a hand and Iron Man took it. They shook hands a little, and then Tony remembered something. He pulled back and sauntered over to the trunk.  
He opened it, pulled out a pile and flipped it. In his hands was Cap’s Shield.

Steve tightened his jaw and looked up. “Tony, I don’t know.”  
“Why? He made it for you.” He stared at Steve. “Plus, honestly, I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding.” Steve slipped his arm into the leather holsters.  
“Thank you, Tony.” Tony nodded, and then glanced away. “Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn’t bring one for the whole team.” He turned and closed the trunk. “We are getting the whole team, yeah?” Steve nodded. “We’re working on that right now.”

Scott unwrapped his taco, glancing toward Reality, who started munching on some lettuce that had remained on the paper.  
He went to take a bite when the wind picked up. He flinched back as the wind got strong and blew the filling from his taco. The human looked up as a spaceship landed in front of him, opening and a raccoon and a blue woman walked out. “Hey, Humie!” The raccoon called out, “Where’s Big Green?”  
“The kitchen, I think?” He pointed up at the ship as the woman walked past. “That’s awesome.”  
Nebula stared at him for a second before reaching a hand up to the comms. “Rhodey, careful on re-entry. There’s an idiot in the landing zone.”  
Rhodey landed, making Scott jump and drop his taco entirely. Reality jumped down and started eating the fallen taco. “What’s up, Regular-Sized Man?”  
Bruce walked over to Scott, past Rhodey, and offered him another taco. Scott took it, staring at him as the scientist headed toward the ship.

* * *

Rocket tapped the back of the truck, signalling to stop. At the docks of New Asgard, Bruce and Rocket stood. “Kind of a step down from the golden palaces and magic hammers and whatnot.” Rocket snarked, Bruce gave him a look. “Hey, have a lil’ compassion pal. First, they lost Asgard, and then half their people. They’re probably just happy to have a home.”

“You shouldn’t have come!” Valkyrie called out from behind them.  
“Ah! Valkyrie! Great to see you, Angry girl!” Bruce said, walking over.  
“I think I liked you better either of the other ways.” Val remarked.  
Bruce ignored her and gestured to his companion. “This is Rocket.”  
“How ya doin’?”  
Valkyrie glanced at Rocket then back up at Bruce. “He won’t see you.” She said after a beat.  
“It’s that bad, huh?” Bruce commented. Val nodded slightly. “We only see him once a month, when he comes in for…” Valkyrie pointedly looked towards a stack of beer. “Supplies.”  
Bruce grimaced. “It’s that bad…”  
“Yeah.” Val nodded.

Rocket knocked on the door, then again after sharing a look with Bruce. The raccoon opened the door, stepping inside and his face souring at the horrid stench.  
“Whew! Something died in here!” Rocket snarked, ears twitching at the sound of bottles clanking elsewhere in the house.  
“Hello? Thor?” Bruce called out, glancing around.

“Are you here about the cable?” A familiar gruff voice responded from further inside. “The Cinemax went out two weeks ago…” He continued, walking over to the beers on the table. “The sports are all kinda fuzzy and whatnot.” he trailed off, grabbing a beer and turning around.  
“Thor?” Bruce asked, looking him over.

The man looked horrible. He had deep bags under his eyes, he was paler. His hair probably hadn’t been brushed in several weeks, Bruce doubted he’d showered for a similar timespan. He had gained weight and lost all of his muscle, but was no less intimidating. His eyes were red-rimmed like he had been crying not too long ago. Bruce hardly recognized him.

Thor let out a laugh. “Boys! Oh, by the Norns!” He walked over to Bruce and hugged him. “It’s so good to see you!” He turned to Rocket, who backed up slightly. “Come here, you cuddly little rascal!” He pulled the raccoon into a noogie, despite Rocket’s protests.

“Hulk, you know my friends Miek and Korg, right?” Thor gestured to them, and they waved and said hi.  
“Hey guys, long time no see.” Bruce waved awkwardly to them, glancing away.  
“Beers in the bucket, Feel free to log in on the Wi-Fi. No password, obviously.” Korg shifted and adjusted his headset. “Thor, he’s back. The kid on the TV just called me a dickhead again.”  
Thor suddenly got serious, anger crossing his face. “Noobmaster..”  
“Yeah, Noobmaster69 called me a dickhead.”  
Thor muttered, grabbing the headset. “Noobmaster! Hey, it’s Thor again. You know, The God Of Thunder?” Rocket and Bruce watched in confusion and concern as Thor continued. “Listen, bud, if you don’t hop off this game immediately, I am going to fly over to your house, come down to that basement you’re hiding in, rip off your arms and shove them up your butt!”

Bruce and Rocket shared a look. “Oh, that’s right, yes! Go cry to your father, you little weasel.” Thor handed the headset back to Korg. “Thank you, Thor.”  
“Let me know if he bothers you again, okay?”  
“Thank you very much, I will.” Korg nodded, putting the headset back on as Thor turned to Bruce and Rocket.

“So, you guys want a drink? What are we drinking? I’ve got beer, tequila, all sorts of things.” he uses Stormbreaker’s blade to open his beer, then turns to the two with a chuckle. He looks up at Bruce, taking a sip.  
“Buddy,” Bruce lays a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “You all right?”  
“Yes, I’m fine, why? Why, don’t I look alright?” Thor questioned. Rocket looked up at the god. “You look like melted ice cream.” Thor laughed at that.

“So what’s up? You just here for a hang, or what?”  
“We need your help.” Thor hummed and Bruce continued. “There might be a chance we could fix everything.”  
“What, like the cable?” He burped. “‘Cause that’s been driving me bananas for weeks.”  
“Like Thanos.”  
All of Thor’s happy mood drained, as did the colour in his face. He shook his head slightly, glancing down. He reached a shaky hand up to Bruce’s shoulder and pointed at him. “ _Don’t_ … Don’t say that name.” Thor spoke, sounding on the verge of tears.

Korg stood up. “Um, yeah we don’t actually say that name in here.”  
Bruce smiled sadly and gently wrapped his hand around Thor’s wrist. “Please take your hand off me.” He whispered. Thor’s eyes were watery, and his nose and ears were reddening. Once Thor’s hand was removed from his shirt, Bruce continued. “Now I know that… _guy_... Might scare you.”  
“Why would I be…” Thor scoffed half-heartedly. “Why would I be scared of that guy? I’m the one who killed that guy, remember?” Bruce hummed and Thor carried on, closer to tears each second. “Anyone else here kill that guy?” He shook his head. “Nope.” Bruce placed his hand gingerly on Thor’s shoulder. “Didn’t think so.” Thor finished bitterly.

“Korg, why don’t you, uh, tell everybody who chopped Thanos’ big head off?” Thor slurred, stumbling away. Korg hesitated. “Uhm... Stormbreaker?”  
“Well... Who was swinging Stormbreaker?” Thor took a swig of beer as Bruce stepped closer.  
“I get it. You’re in a rough spot, okay? Yeah, I’ve been there myself.” Bruce leant down slightly. “And you want to know who helped me out of it?”  
“Euhm... Was it... Natasha?” Thor slurred, then pointed up at him.  
“It was you,” Bruce said sincerely. “You helped me.”

Thor stumbled over to the window. “Why don't you ask the Asgardians down there,” He pointed. “How much my help is worth?” He flopped into the seat. “The ones that are left, anyway.” He mumbled.  
“I think we could bring them back.” Thor chuckled at that.  
“Stop. Stop, okay?” He grabbed some chips and sniffed. “I know you think I’m down here, wallowing in my own self-pity, waiting to be rescued and saved,” Thor glanced away. “But I’m fine, okay? We’re fine, aren’t we?”  
“Oh, we’re good here, mate.”  
“So, whatever it is that you’re offering, we’re not into it. Don’t care, couldn’t care less” He shoved a chip into his mouth. “Goodbye.” He smiled sarcastically and looked away.  
“We need you pal.”  
Thor shook his head, taking a final swig of his beer and then looked at the bottle like it betrayed him.  
Rocket folded his arms in front of Thor. “There’s beer on the ship.”  
Thor dropped the bottle to the floor, then looked up towards Rocket, unshed tears shining in his eyes. “What kind?”

Natasha walked slowly, holding an umbrella to shield herself from the rain. She ignored all the cries and bloodshed, and waited. When everything was silent, she walked forward, waiting for the man to take his hood off.  
“You shouldn’t be here.”  
“Neither should you.”  
He turned, and Clint stared and Natasha. “I’ve got a job to do.”  
“Is that what you’re calling this? Killing all these people isn’t gonna bring your family back.”  
Clint’s face tightened in grief, and Nat walked forward. “We found something.” She stopped in front of him. “A chance, maybe.”  
Clint looked up, his voice wavering as he spoke. “Don’t.” He shook his head and they stared at each other. “Don’t what?” Nat questioned.  
“Don’t give me hope.” Nat’s eyes filled with tears.  
“I’m sorry I couldn’t give it to you sooner.”

And there the two assassins stood, in the pouring rain. Tears unshed, or maybe disguised in the rain. Natasha reached out her hand and grasped Clint’s. They squeezed hands, and soon after they left for The Compound.

* * *

The Compound was a welcomed sight for Thor.  
He walked through the halls and went to the room designated for him that he had never used. He leant against the door and tears fell from his eyes. He furiously wiped at them but they just kept falling. The god couldn’t believe it. A chance to save everyone. Maybe even a chance to save his brother.  
Sadness curled around his heart like a snake, squeezing it tightly. Loki. His baby brother. The brother he _let die. He **watched** it happen and couldn’t do **anything-**_

“Thor?”  
A voice broke him out of his grief, and his mismatched eyes looked up to meet Steve’s blue ones. Thor opened his mouth to speak but all that escaped was a strangled whimper. Steve moved forward and gently pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay, Thor. Everythings gonna be alright.”  
Thor’s hands gripped at Steve’s shirt, his face buried in his friend’s shoulder. He fought back against the sobs, but Steve’s soothing voice and hands rubbing his back forced them out.  
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Thor’s sobs quietened to sniffles.  
Steve pulled back, his hands on Thor’s shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it?” Thor shook his head.  
“No, I’m.. I’m sorry I just-”  
“It’s alright, Thor. I get it. We all do. No one here blames you, and no one here judges you. You’re our friend, Thor, and we love you.” Steve’s words brought tears back to Thor’s already watery eyes. Steve patted his shoulders and gave him a smile. “I’m here to talk if you need it, Thor.”  
Thor nodded, sniffing a little and rubbing his eyes. “Its, uh.. It’s late. We should.. Eat or sleep, or something?” Steve nodded. “I’ll get started on dinner.” Steve started walking, then stopped. “Oh, if you see a red rat, don’t worry about them. They’re friendly and they can explain.”  
Thor nodded, slightly confused, glancing away.

The next day, Tony and Rocket worked hard. They spent hours setting up the Time Machine exchanging witty banter and getting scolded by Natasha when they set up a prank against everyone else.  
“Drifting left,” Tony warned Thor as the god slurped from his canned drink. “One side there, Lebowski.” The inventor dragged a long tube to the machine. “Ratchet, hows it going?”  
“It’s Rocket,” The Raccoon replied. “Take it easy, you’re only a genius on Earth, pal.” He pointed a hammer toward Tony as Thor belched behind them.

After Tony and Rocket were dragged away by Natasha for food, Reality scurried over to Thor. The rat hopped up onto a table next to him and sat, looking up at him.  
“ _Thor Odinson._ ”  
Thor glanced at the rat, confused. “Yes?”  
“ _We wish to apologize. For.. everything. We do not remember much of what happened on Asgard 10 years ago, but we remember that we were the cause of great pain for you and your loved ones._ ”  
Thor’s eyebrows furrowed. “What-”  
The rat shook its head. “ _We apologize. We never introduced ourselves. We are Reality, the remaining fragments from the stone, possessing a rat._ ”  
Thor nodded. “Nice to meet you..”  
They sat in silence for a moment.  
“ _It wasn’t your fault, you know._ ”  
Thor looked at them, taking a sip from his can.  
“ _You don’t need to blame yourself. What… What He did… was horrible. We are sorry for what we were forced to do._ ” Reality bowed their head.  
Thor shook his head. “It’s not your fault either. Any of it.”  
Reality opened their mouth to speak but Clint walked in to grab them for lunch. They would tell him later, they supposed.

* * *

Rhodey walked into the room, looking over Scott’s suit. “Time travel suit, not bad.”  
Reality sat on a desk nearby, munching on a biscuit.  
Bruce tried to slide a container into a slot in Scott’s suit. “Hey, Hey! Easy, Easy!” Scott cried, grabbing at Bruce’s big green wrists like it would do anything.  
“I’m being very careful.” Bruce looked at Scott.  
“No, you’re being very Hulky.”  
“I’m being careful!”  
“These are Pym Particles, all right?” Scott held up the vial. “And ever since Hank Pym got snapped out of existence, this is it. This is what we have. We’re not making any more.”  
Rhodey held up his hands. “Scott, calm down.”  
“Sorry,” Scott apologized. “We’ve got enough for one round-trip each, That’s it. No do-overs. Plus, two test runs.”  
He slipped it into the slot and accidentally activated the suit, shrinking. He deactivated, returning to his full size. “One test run.” He corrected. “All right. I’m not ready for this.”  
“I’m game.”  
Clint Barton stood at the door, leaning against the frame with crossed arms. “I’ll do it.”

“Clint, now you’re gonna feel a little discombobulated from the chronoshift, don’t worry about that.”  
“Wait a second, Let me ask you something,” Rhodey interrupted. “If we can do this, you know, go back in time? Why don't we just find baby Thanos, you know, and…” Rhodey paused, making the gesture of wrapping something around in the air then tightening it. He then shrugged a little.  
“First of all, that’s horrible,” Bruce said.  
“It’s _Thanos._ ”  
“And secondly, time doesn’t work that way. Changing the past doesn’t change the future.”  
“Look we go back, we get the stones before Thanos gets them, Thanos doesn't have the stones. Problem solved.” Scott countered. “Bingo,” Clint piped up.

“That’s not how it works.” Nebula countered. “Well, that’s what I heard.” Clint responded.  
“Wait, but who? Who told you that?” Bruce asked.  
“Star Trek, Terminator, Timecop, Time after time,” Rhodey started, counting the films on his fingers.  
“Quantum Leap,” Scott added.  
“Wrinkle in Time, Somewhere in Time,” Rhodey continued  
“Hot Tub Time Machine,”  
“ _Hot Tub Time Machine_ , Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” He took a breath. “Basically any movie that deals with time travel.”  
“Die hard? No that’s not one.”  
“This is _known._ ” Rhodey concluded.  
Bruce stretched out his arms in exasperation. “I don’t know why everyone believes that, but that isn’t true. Think about it, if you travel to the past, that past becomes your future, and your former present becomes the past, which now can’t be changed by your new future!”  
“Exactly.” Nebula added, Reality also nodding from the desk they still sat on.  
“So Back to the Future is a bunch of bullshit?”

“All right, Clint.” Bruce said, looking up at the assassin on the Quantum Tunnel Pad, flipping switches. Around him stood Rocket, Nebula, Rhodey, Steve, Thor and Reality, who was on Thor’s shoulder.  
“We’re going in three,” Bruce started the countdown, flipping switches and pressing some buttons.  
“Two,” Clint’s helmet formed, and Clint straightened out a bit.  
“One.” The Quantum Tunnel opened, and Clint shrank, falling into the Quantum Realm.

He waved his arms and legs for a few seconds before straightening out and tightening his pose, arms and legs straight. He sped forward, moving through the tunnels, nooks and crannies of the Quantum Realm, The Time-Space GPS directing him to his desired location. He turned into a tunnel and let out a yell as he landed in a barn.

He fell to his knees, bracing himself on the side of a plastic container. He dematerialized his helmet and gasped a bit. He looked around his surroundings, gasping and heaving as he stood. He took a few steps and used the tractor tire for support, still in shock. He looked out of the door, and started walking towards the house.

He walked up the driveway, stopping in front of a baseball glove. He knelt down to it, and picked it up gingerly. He smiled sadly and ran his hands over it.  
“Cooper!” a voice called from inside. Clint had thought he’d never hear that voice again. He looked up in shock.  
“Where are my headphones?” she continued.  
“Lila?” Clint whispered, still in shock.  
“I never had them!” Cooper responded from inside.  
“Lila?” Clint whispered again, standing up. His watch started beeping and he moved forward, desperate to see his family again.  
The two children continued bickering, Clint rushed towards the door, grabbing it and rushing in.  
“Lila! Lila-” He was thrown back to 2023, just as his foot landed inside.

He landed on his knees on the Quantum Tunnel pad, still calling out for his daughter. He grunted and gasped, tears fresh in his eyes.  
Hands helped him up, Nat’s voice filling his ears.  
“Hey, Hey! Look at me,” She grabbed his face. “You okay?” Her face morphed in concern.  
Clint looked around, still dazed and confused. He looked at Nat. “Yeah, Yeah,” He panted, glancing at the baseball glove in his hand. “It worked.”  
Then he looked up towards Tony and Scott. “It worked.” He tossed the baseball glove to Tony.

The Avengers stood in a meeting room, holograms showing the infinity stones.  
“Okay, so the How works,” Steve started. “Now we gotta figure out the When, and the Where.”  
He glanced over his teammates. “Almost everyone in this room has had an encounter with one of the six infinity stones,”  
“Or, substitute the word ‘encounter’ with ‘damn near been killed’ by one of the six in infinity stones.” Tony interrupted.  
Reality sat on Scott’s shoulder, glancing around. They bowed their head in apology.  
“Regardless, we only have enough Pym Particles for one round-trip each. And these stones have been in a lot of different places throughout history.”  
“Our history,” Tony added. “So, not a lot of convenient spots to drop in, yeah?”  
“Which means we have to be our targets.”  
“Correct.” Tony agreed.  
“Reality, can you tell us anything?”  
Reality shook their head. “ _We apologize. We are not completely whole, we cannot recall much but fragments, and our final moments being unbroken. We are unhelpful here._ ”  
Steve nodded. “Okay. Let’s start with the Aether, then. Thor, what do you know?” The soldier looked towards the god. Thor sat completely still, sunglasses covering his eyes.  
“Is he asleep?” Natasha questioned.  
“No, no,” Rhodey responded. “I’m pretty sure he’s dead.”

The hologram shifted, showing the reality stone, Thor stood in front of it, squirming a little.  
“Uhm.. where to start.. Um..” Thor tapped his glasses against the screen, squinting at the light. “The Aether, firstly, is not a stone. Someone called it a stone before… uh,” He pointed towards Steve. “It was more of an angry… sludge kind of thing,” He turned to Reality. “No offence.”  
Reality shook their head. “ _None was taken._ ”

“So here's an interesting story, though, about the Aether,” Thor started. Rhodey and Clint shared a look. “My grandfather, many years ago, had to hide the stone from the Dark Elves.” He paused, grimacing slightly. “Scary beings... So, Jane, actually...Oh, there she is..” He paused, looking at the picture of Jane.  
“Yeah, so.. Jane was an old flame of mine.. She stuck her hand inside a rock this one time, and then the Aether stuck itself inside her, and she became very, very sick.”  
The Avengers all looked confused and a little impatient. “And so I had to take her to Asgard, which is where i'm from, and we had to try and fix her.” Scott nodded a little.  
“We were dating at the time, you see, and i got to introduce her to my mother..” He slowed, tears forming in his eyes. “Who’s dead and um...Oh, you know, Jane and I aren’t even dating anymore, so…”

Bruce gestured a little for someone to stop him. Thor continued. “Yes, these things happen, you know.. Nothing lasts forever. The only thing that..”  
Tony gently grabbed his arm. “Why don’t you come sit down?”  
“I’m not done yet,” He put his hand on Tony’s shoulder, stopping him. “The only thing that is permanent is impermanence.” Thor laughed a little as Rhodey and Clint shared another look.  
Tony clapped twice. “Awesome. Eggs? Breakfast?” Reality perked up at the sound of food.  
Thor shook his head, making a face. “No, I’d like a bloody mary.”

Rocket stood on the table as everyone ate. “Quill said he stole the Power Stone from Morag,”  
“Is that a person?” Bruce asked.  
“No, Morag’s a planet. Quill was a person.”  
“Like a planet, like in outer space?”  
“Oh, look.” Rocket reached up and pet Scott’s head. “It’s like a little puppy, all happy and everything.” He leant down, voice full of sarcasm. “Do you wanna go to space? You wanna go to space, puppy? I’ll take you to space.”

“Thanos found the Soul Stone on Vormir.” Nebula started.  
“What is Vormir?” Nat asked from the couch, writing in a notepad.  
“A dominion of death, at the very centre of celestial existence.”  
Everyone looked up, faces laced in confusion and slight horror.  
“It’s where…” Nebula paused. “Thanos murdered my sister.”  
Everyone remained quiet.  
Steve sighed lightly.  
“Not it.” Clint spoke.

“That Time Stone guy,” Nat started.  
“Doctor Strange.” Bruce added  
“Yeah, what kind of doctor was he?”  
“Ear-nose-throat meets rabbit-from-hat.” Tony snarked.  
“Nice place in the Village though.”  
The three of them were laying around the room. Tony on his side, pillow under his head and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. Nat on her back, looking at the ceiling and playing with a pen. Bruce on the floor, cleaning his glasses.  
“Yeah, on Sullivan Street?”  
“Mm.. Bleecker Street.” Bruce corrected.  
“Wait,” Nat questioned. “He lived in New York?”  
“No, he lived in Toronto, have you been listening to anything?”  
“Uh, Yeah, on Bleecker and Sullivan.” Bruce and Tony spoke at the same time.  
“Guys. If you pick the right year, there are three Stones in New York.”  
Tony and Bruce went still.  
Bruce sat up.  
“Shut the front door.”

The Avengers stood in the room, looking at the holograms.  
Steve stepped forward. “All right, we have a plan.”  
He walked around the table. “Six stones, three teams, one shot.”  
Everyone stood up, aside from Thor and Reality, either crossing their arms or their hands on their hips.  
“Rocket, Thor. You two go to Asgard and get the Reality stone.” The Raccoon nodded while Thor continued eating his tub of Ben n’ Jerry’s Raspberry Thorbet.  
“Nebula, Rhodes, Clint and Nat. You guys go to 2014, Nebula and Rhodes to Morag for the Power stone, Clint and Nat to Vormir for the Soul stone.” All four nodded, glancing at each other.  
“Tony, Scott, Bruce and I will go to 2012 and get the Space, Time and Mind stones.” Everyone nodded.  
“Reality, you stay here and pull us back.” The rat nodded. Reality couldn’t come along, as there was no rat sized suit, and also Reality probably wouldn’t survive the trip, as they’re barely strong enough to stay inside of the Rat Vessel.

* * *

“Five years ago, we lost.  
All of us.  
We lost friends,  
We lost family,  
We lost a part of ourselves.  
Today we have a chance to take it all back.  
You know your teams, you know your missions.  
Get the stones, get them back.”

The group stood on the Quantum Tunnel, Bruce and Reality at the controls. They stood in a circle, determination coursing through them.  
Steve glanced around.  
“One round trip each, No mistakes, No do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other.”  
Everyone nodded.  
“This is the fight of our lives, and we’re gonna win.”  
Steve and Tony shared a look.  
“Whatever it takes.”  
Steve glanced toward the middle again.  
“Good luck.”

After a beat, Rocket looked up. “He’s pretty good at that.”  
“Right?” Scott agreed.  
“All right,” Tony spoke. “You heard the man. Stroke those keys, Jolly Green.”  
Reality gave Tony a look as they pressed buttons, Bruce showing them which ones to press.  
“Trackers engaged.”

Clint looked down at the tiny ship, the Benatar, in his hand. Rocket looks at him.  
“You promise to bring that back in one piece, right?”  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I’ll do my best.” Clint gives him a weak smile and a nod, Rocket crosses his arms and looks away.  
“As promises go, that was pretty lame.”

Bruce made his way onto the Quantum Tunnel, Reality still on the control panel.  
Bruce looked to Reality, and then pressed a button on his wrist.  
“See you in a minute.” Natasha smiled, glancing around at everyone.

The Quantum Tunnel roared to life, everyone’s helmets came on. The group was nervous, but determined. The Quantum Tunnel opened beneath them, and Reality sent them one last wave before they all shrunk down into the Quantum Realm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reality is a little rat with little rat hands and a little rat face. a tiny little rat with a big cosmic aspect heart.
> 
> this first chapter followed p closely with endgame, but the big canon divergences come in the following chapters.
> 
> I also stole the ice cream thor is eating near the end from a Binging with Babish video, where he made mcu flavours and added one more in bc he likes threes.
> 
> I have no CLUE when the next chapters will be posted.


	2. Time Heist Act 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2 is up and running.  
> if you notice any grammatical errors, please inform me so i can sweep them under the rug.
> 
> it took a bit bc its been a crazy few weeks. my birthday was yesterday (the 21st of Febuary) and I'm now an adult. yay.  
> to celebrate, i finished chapter 2 and will start working on chapter 3. later.  
> enjoy the chapter!

The moment they landed in a New York alleyway, familiar sounds entered Tony’s ears. Sounds he’d hoped to never hear again. The Chitauri screeching, the sounds of destruction- Tony shook his head slightly, his Quantum Suit dissipating.

“All right,” Steve stepped forward, looking toward the destruction beyond the alley. “We have our assignments. Two stones uptown, one stone down.” The captain turned back to his team. “Stay low, keep an eye on the clock-”

A roar interrupted them, the team flinched and watched as the 2012 Hulk literally crushed a Chitauri soldier with a car, then again, and again. He then threw a wheel, and roared as he jumped and stomped on top of the already destroyed car.  
With an angry grunt, the Hulk charged forward to cause more destruction, leaving the Time Heist Team in disbelief, shock, and embarrassment on Bruce’s part.  
Steve turned to the scientist. “Maybe smash a few things along the way.”  
“I think it’s gratuitous, but whatever.” Bruce sighed, tearing off his tank top tiredly. He made a show of roaring softly, punching the top of a taxi, grunting and then tossing a motorcycle with little effort, finishing with another fake roar.

Bruce made his way to the New York Sanctum, jumping onto the roof. He landed in front of a door and went to open it.  
“I’d be careful going that way, we just had the floors waxed.”  
The scientist turned, seeing a woman in yellow robes. He stepped toward her. He went to speak but she spoke first.  
“You’re early. Five years too early, in fact. Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery about 20 blocks,” She pointed. “That way.”  
Bruce hesitated. “How did you-”

She turned to him, a knowing expression on her face. “We’ve been expecting you, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner.” She gestured to the Eye of Agamotto hanging from her neck.  
Bruce glanced at it, then stepped forward.  
“Any chance you’d give me the stone willingly?”  
She straightened her posture slightly, Bruce took it as her getting defensive.  
“Sorry, I don’t have time to debate this..” He walked forward and reached for the Eye, only to have The Ancient One’s hand slam into his chest and his consciousness be thrown out of his body.

Bruce, floating in the air like a ghost, looked at his hands, his body, and then up at The Ancient One.  
She straightened up again and sighed slightly.  
“Let’s talk.”

* * *

Rocket and Thor land in between some pillars, in the dungeons of Asgard.  
Thor never realized he’d miss the smell of something, let alone the dungeons. He looked around in disbelief, feeling his eyes water slightly.

He jumped slightly at the feeling of something hitting his leg, glancing down he sighed in relief. It was only Rocket.  
“Get it together, waterworks, we have a job to do.” Rocket grumbled, unsure of how to comfort his teammate. Thor only nodded, and together they snuck onwards.  
Rocket and Thor snuck past a cell, making it a few feet before-

“ _You._ ” A voice said, an illusion of Loki appearing in front of them. Thor and Rocket jumped, the raccoon getting defensive while Thor let out a strangled noise. “Loki-”  
The illusion stopped him, putting a finger over his lips. “Shush!” He whispered, eyebrows furrowed. “What in _Hel_ are you two doing here, messing around with time like this?”  
His brother whispered angrily, exasperated.

“How did you-” Rocket started.  
“It doesn’t _matter_ how I know what you two are messing with time, What matters is that you’re risking everything to be here!” Loki hissed, gesturing them to hide between some pillars.  
As the two did as instructed, Thor realized they were next to Loki’s cell, where the younger prince lay on his bed tossing a cup into the air.

The illusion moved in front of them, and a spell encased them. Thor recognized the feeling, glancing towards a reflection he saw the three were disguised as some boxes. Clever. His brother is so smart.  
Thor looked towards the illusion of his brother, grief snaking around his guilt-ridden heart. “Loki-”  
“No. What are you two doing here, Why are you sneaking around, and what are you looking for?” Loki’s tone was clipped, quick and demanding.  
“We’re here to get the Reality Stone, the stones were destroyed in our time.” Rocket answered, still defensive.

Loki went quiet, his face turning a few shades paler. He swallowed slightly. “So, He won..” He mumbled, leaning against the wall, running a hand through his hair.  
“All that work in New York and _He_ still won…” He breathed, his expression making him look older. He ran his hands down his face with a deep sigh.

“What are you talking about, brother?” Thor’s eyebrows creased in confused concern, reaching out a hand towards him. Loki looked up, so very tired.  
“I was _sent_ to New York by… _The Mad Titan._ ” Loki spoke, refusing to meet his eyes. “He… and The Other, tortured me for a year prior to the invasion, after my fall from the Bifrost… The Mind Stone was influencing my thoughts, but I managed to set myself up for failure, hoping He could never get the stones.”

Thor stepped forward, reaching out to him before Loki gave him a sad look. Ah, right. Illusion.  
“Why did you never-”  
“Nothing good would’ve come of telling the truth.” He sighed. “At best, no one would believe me, and at worst, You and your merry band of fools would try to fight the Titan and immediately die.”

Loki straightened himself out a little, running a hand through his hair and letting out a sigh.  
Rocket sighed, glancing away. “We should get goin’, that possessed humie isn’t gonna wait around forever.”  
Loki chewed on his fingernails and looked at the two. “What is your plan?”  
“Well, I was gonna get Tubby here,” He gestures to Thor, Loki’s expression darkened slightly. “To charm her, and then I was gonna jab this in her.” Rocket said, holding up the stone extractor.

Loki stared at him, silent with a disbelieving expression.  
He buried his face in his hands and let out a soft groan.  
“ _Doomed_ … We’re all _doomed_ …”

* * *

“Alright,” Rhodey called out. “Bring it down low!”  
Clint and Natasha watched as Nebula, in the Benatar, and Rhodey, on the ground, prepared the Pod.  
The red-headed assassin crossed her arms, glancing around Morag. It was dark, and dusty.  
“Right on that line, that's it.” The pod lowered slowly, the sound of the ship loud. “Down, down.”  
Natasha kicked an Orloni, it shrieked and hopped away. Clint sighed, looking towards the ship. “Hey, can we hurry it up?”  
“Guys, chop-chop. Come on, we’re on the clock.”  
Rhodey turned around at them, annoyed. “All that,” He gestured. “Is really helpful.” He spoke sarcastically, rolling his eyes as Nat laughed a little.

“Take care, okay?” Nat said as she hugged Rhodey, giving him a pat on the back.  
“Get that stone and come back, No messing around.”  
Clint walked over. “Hey.”  
“We’ve got this.” Rhodey smiled slightly, patting him on the arm.  
“Let’s get it done.” Clint nodded to him, Rhodey nodded back.  
“Yes sir.”  
“See you back!” Nat called as she walked into the Benatar.  
“You guys watch each other’s six.”  
The two assassins look back and smile.  
“Yeah.” Clint smiled as the hatch closed.

As the ship flew out of the atmosphere, Nebula crossed her arms.  
“The coordinates for Vormir are laid in.” She said, watching the sky. “All they have to do is not fall out.”

In the Benatar, Clint and Nat are sitting at the front of the ship. The ship takes a jump through space and speeds up tremendously. Nat and Clint share a look with each other.  
“It's a long way from Budapest.” Clint smiles as Natasha laughs.

After a few minutes, Rhodey looks at Nebula.  
“Okay, so, uhh…” He glanced around, unsure of what to do now. “We just wait around for this Quill guy to show up and then he leads us to the Power Stone, is that it?”  
“Let's take cover.” Nebula looked around warily. “We're not the only ones in 2014 looking for the stones.”  
Rhodey looked at her. “Wait a minute, what are you talking about right now? Who else is looking for these stones?”  
Nebula looked back at him, slight fear on her face. “My father, my sister... and me.”  
“And you? Where are you right now?”

* * *

Miles away on Korbin, a nine-year younger Nebula lets out a battle cry, charging at the Korbinites. She hacks and slashes, dodging each blow expertly. She finishes her enemy off by skewering them through the head.

Her dark eyes shoot the grenade it dropped, but she didn’t have time to move before it exploded, launching her backwards several feet. She landed on her stomach and flipped over to see another Korbinite with their gun pointing at her, preparing to fire. She moves backwards, but her attacker is stabbed in the side and thrown into a large energy beam, disintegrating it instantly.

Nebula looks up at her saviour, slightly annoyed. Her adoptive sister, Gamora, looks down at her, frustrated. She lets out a sigh as Nebula lets out a grunt and looks down.  
“Your welcome.” Gamora says.  
“I didn’t _ask_ for your help.”  
“And yet,” Gamora walks in front of her, looking down at her. “You always _need_ it.”  
The Zehoberei woman offers her hand, the Luphomoid slapping it away as Gamora chuckles.

“Get up,” Gamora’s tone loses all humour. “Father wants us back on the ship.”  
“Why?”  
“He’s found an Infinity stone.”  
Nebula looked up at her in surprise.

“Where?” Nebula asks, the both of them now on their father’s ship.  
“On a planet called /Morag/.” Gamora answers, her hands on her hips.  
The adoptive sisters stand parallel, looking up at a hologram displaying a planet.  
“Father’s plan is finally in motion.”  
“One stone isn’t six, Nebula.” Gamora reminded her, eyebrows slightly furrowed.  
“It’s a start,” Nebula retorts. “If he gets all of them…” She drifted off.

The two looked over as their father, Thanos, entered.  
“Ronan has located the Power Stone.” He informs the two. “I’m dispatching you to his ship.”  
“He won’t like that.” Gamora says.  
“His alternative is death. Ronan’s obsession,” Thanos speaks as he cleans his blade. “Clouds his judgement.”

Nebula walks forward, slightly in front of Gamora, and kneels to Thanos.  
“We will not fail you, Father.”  
Gamora rolls her eyes slightly.  
“No, you won’t.”  
Nebula looks up. “I swear,” She stands slowly. “I will make you proud.”

Her cybernetics spark and she cries out in pain, moving backwards quickly with her hands on her head. She sits down, Gamora rushing to her in concern.  
Her eye shows a hologram, a human man in metal armour.  
_”..We just, wait around for this Quill guy to show up and then he leads us to the Power Stone, is that it?”_ The man speaks.  
_“Let’s take cover,”_ Nebula’s voice responds. _“We’re not the only ones in 2014 looking for the stones.”_

The hologram disappears as Nebula slaps her cybernetics with a grunt of pain.  
“Who was that?” Gamora asks, concerned.  
“I don’t know.” Nebula gasps, holding her head. “My head is splitting, I don’t know.”  
Gamora slowly stands, looking up at the Titan.  
“Her synaptic drive was probably damaged in battle.” She tries to make an excuse.

Thanos soothingly shushes Nebula, sliding his blade under her chin. He stares at her for a few seconds as she shivers.  
“Bring her to my ship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some of my links :D  
> [tumblr](https://tittydicktea.tumblr.com/)  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/tittydicktea)
> 
> ill update as soon as i can, but who knows how long that'll be
> 
> remember to drink some water, eat something and take your medication if you need it!


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